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YouTube’s latest monetization incentive ‘unlikely’ to sway creators

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Becka Bowyer

YouTube Shorts are now eligible for monetization, granting content creators a share of the revenue generated from viewership.


Brooke Erin Duffy

Professor of Communication

Brooke Erin Duffy, associate professor of communication at Cornell University, researches digital and social media industries. She is co-author of “Platforms and Cultural Production,” which explores the processes and implications of platformization in cultural industries.

Duffy says:

“The launch of YouTube’s latest monetization incentive comes at a moment when rival platforms — most especially TikTok — have come under fire for staggeringly low compensation rates. But it seems unlikely that this move will entice TikTok’s sprawling creator class to jettison a platform that is considered more viable to new creators. Indeed, many creators laud TikTok’s ‘discoverability’ — a nod to its algorithmically curated For You Page.  

 

“What’s more, most of today’s creators work across multiple platforms and try to diversify their incomes. But while this strategy may help mitigate the risks associated with a volatile career field, it amounts to additional time, energy, and creative output.”

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